Sayings, sermons and teachings of Imam Ali

24th Nov 2017

A Treasury of Virtues. Sayings, Sermons, and Teachings of Ali, with the One Hundred Proverbs, attributed to al-Jahiz. By al-Qadi al-Quda’i. Edited and Translated by Tahera Qutbuddin. New York University Press. New York. 2013. Pp 306 Paperback. $24

‘Ali was the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad, the first Shi’a Imam and the fourth Sunni Caliph. An acknowledged master of Arabic eloquence and a sage of Islamic wisdom, Ali was renowned for his words, which were collected, quoted, and studied over the centuries, and extensively anthologized, excerpted, and interpreted.

Of the many compilations of ʿAli’s words, A Treasury of Virtues arguably possesses the broadest compass of genres and the largest variety of themes. Included are aphorisms, proverbs, sermons, speeches, homilies, prayers, letters, dialogues and verse, all of which provide instruction on how to be a morally upstanding human being.

Over the centuries, ‘Ali’s sermons, sayings, and teachings were avidly and assiduously collected, quoted, and studied, and extensively anthologized, excepted, and interpreted. There are in fact tens of collections, in thousands of pages, of ‘Ali’s compiled words. (p xiii).

The shorter compilation included here, One Hundred Proverbs is attributed to the eminent writer al-Jahiz (d. 255 H/869 CE).

This volume presents a new critical edition of the Arabic based on several original manuscripts, the first English translation of both these important collections, and an extended introduction.

Over 120 people attended a landmark conference on the media reporting of Islam and Muslims. It was held jointly by The Muslim News and Society of Editors in London on September 15.

The Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2015 was held on March in London to acknowledge British Muslim and non-Muslim contributions to the society.

The Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2015 was held on March in London to acknowledge British Muslim and non-Muslim contributions to the society.

The Muslim News Awards for Excellence event is to acknowledge British Muslim and non-Muslim contributions to society. Over 850 people from diverse background, Muslim and non-Muslim, attended the gala dinner.